Sorry the late reply. Bella is on a tablet called Plavix which is a anti clotting drug.. Cats with heart conditions are suspestible to such things and this drug helps the platlettes in blood to become less sticky and this do not clot so much.. The same applies to Asprin however, it is VERY EASY to overdose a cat on asprin esp one that is so lightweight as my Bella (never a big cat).... Asprin ihas been found not to be so effective and does take much longer to dissove in the system.. I was told for Bella she would need a childs dose only 1 tablet a wk... However, this would vary depending on her weight which is pretty constant.. However, if she decided not to take the tablet or you forget to give it too her then it could lead to overdose.. However, asprin was an alternative.. Plavix in tests has proved to be much safer and much more reliable... But if i had failed to find a way to dose her with it (Gel capsules) then we would of had to goto the asprin route.
Bella has an irregular heart beat, she has had this for four yrs and had been on the usualy duretic drugs that are prescribed for heart conditions Fortekor and Frusimide, which she takes no problem, both on low doses, but both are licenced for animal use and are thus much easier to dose and palatable... The new tablet Plavix (or the generic version)is really a precaution as she is a senior moggie and although has done extremely well (the cardio vet was amazed at her general good condition)..
You will find in most cases that animals with heart condition the heart does enlarge to compensate for the extra work.. All in all the heart is a marvelous organ and in Bella case seems to be doing okay.. but only because four yrs ago it was caught in time and the meds have no doubt about it prolonged her life and given her a good quality of life... I am thankful that in the case of heart condition there are alot of meds out there that has developed in conjunction with human medicine. After all the heart has the same function in all animals and druges seems to work cross species...
I hope this post does help someone out there as it drove me up the wall with all the investigation.. She is insured, but insurance companies can pull the plug on polcies if they want!